The Sailor Ink Blending Workshop took place at the Manila Pen Show this year. I’m so glad I was able to secure one of the most coveted slots. Usually, the Sailor Ink Blending event is held at Ancora Ginza, so having it right here in Manila was a special opportunity. I was also glad to meet Ink Master Takahashi-San and have him create a custom-blended Sailor ink for me.
My appointment at the Sailor booth was bright and early. The process of creating a personalized ink is actually quite simple and straightforward. You can describe your desired color or even choose from existing swatches. In my case, I showed Takahashi-San a picture of the sunrise that I took early one morning and asked him to replicate the color of the sky. I wanted to capture the rich, vibrant blue of the early morning sky in ink form. The great news was, it was possible!
Takahashi-San and his colleague, who assists in the translation, shared with me that in Japanese, the early morning sun is called “Asahi” (to which I replied, you mean like the beer?). This word somehow is synonymous to new beginnings – a fitting description for an ink designed to capture the essence of a sunrise.
With the description in mind, Takahashi-San blended the ink. There were a few minor adjustments, and I was asked to test the ink a few times. Once the color was right, Takahashi-San prepared a larger, 50ml batch for me to take home. Before the session ended, he wrote the ink ‘formula’ on a card and asked me what I wanted to name my ink. I called it Manila Sunrise.
I loved how right the blue was. It’s dark enough to be readable when used with a fountain pen, but still bright enough to see that it’s actually blue, not black. A huge thank you to Scribe for making the Sailor Ink Blending Workshop possible in Manila! It was an unforgettable experience to witness and participate in the creation of something truly unique and personal. Here’s how Manila Sunrise looks like when written with a glass pen!
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